Comments/Citation:
In Memory of Trooper James H. Savage
Bridge dedicated to Trooper James Savage
Published in the Torrington Register Citizen - October 17, 2009
TFC James Savage who was killed in the line of duty January 27, 1986.
LITCHFIELD — State Trooper James Savage was only 42 years old when he was killed in the line of duty.
The date was Jan. 22, 1986. Savage was at the end of his shift on the state police traffic squad and was traveling home on Route 8 when he stopped for a motorist on the side of the road. As he approached the car, another motorist driving down Route 8 drifted off the shoulder of the road on a curve, hitting Savage.
On Friday, Savage was honored as state police dedicated a Route 8 bridge on the Litchfield/Harwinton border “Trooper James Savage Memorial Bridge.” The ceremony was held at the state police Troop L Barracks.
“This is a fitting tribute to his sacrifice,” state police Major Butch Hyatt said to a crowd that included family members, former colleagues, as well as current state troopers. “No one will be able to drive down Route 8 without remembering James Savage.”
Hyatt thanked State Sen. Andrew Roraback, R-30, and State Rep. Craig Miner, R-66, for lobbying the state Department of Transportation to rename the bridge as well as their legislative efforts to enact a “move over” law. The law, which requires motorists to slow down when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle and to move over one lane to put extra space between the motorist and the emergency vehicle, was passed Oct. 1.
Accompanied by her family, Margaret Savage said her husband was a serious man with a humorous side. Unbeknownst to her colleagues, she said, Savage played the drums and listened to heavy metal music. But most of all, she said, he loved being a state trooper. “It was God, his family, and the state police,” Marge Savage said.
After the dedication, many said they felt compelled to honor Savage’s career as a state trooper.
Miner said although he never knew Savage personally, he thought the state trooper was an example of public service and dedication. “He put his life into public safety,” Miner said.
Retired state trooper and Torrington Town Clerk Joseph Quartiero had worked with Savage in the late-1970s as part of a traffic squad. “This is well-deserving,” Quartiero said. “He was a great guy.”
Afterwards, Quartiero left to talk with several former colleagues, who are also now retired. They all traveled to Litchfield to remember a husband, father, colleague and friend who lost his life making one last stop 15 minutes from home.
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